Life might be trying to take its lemons back.
Over the past few decades, citrus trees across the country have fallen victim to citrus greening, a crop disease that has wiped out large swaths of Florida’s once-thriving orange groves.
The disease has made its way to Texas and California, the next two largest citrus-producing states, and now threatens every glass of orange juice and slice of grapefruit along with the industries and growers they support.
From 2008 to 2012, the disease spread to Georgia, South Carolina, Louisiana, Texas and California. While initially only detected in residential areas in California, each passing year means an increased risk to large-scale commercial groves in the vicinity. It has spread to residential and commercial groves in Texas over the years.
Citrus greening, or Huanglongbing, inflicts approximately $3 billion in agricultural losses each year. Finding novel solutions for the disease has become a high priority for AgriLife Research, which has developed new screening methods and potential treatments in response to the disease’s continued spread. (Sam Craft/Texas A&M AgriLife)
Photo by Sam Craft via Texas A&M AgriLife
To protect the economic and cultural impact of citrus, Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists led by Kranthi Mandadi, Ph.D., seek novel solutions to support the citrus industry.
Mandadi, a professor in the Texas A&M Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology and researcher at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Weslaco, has dedicated a decade to studying citrus greening. In the past few years, he and his collaborators have found new potential treatments for citrus greening, offering hope to producers and consumers alike.
“We’ve seen a nearly 90% loss in citrus production in Florida over the past two decades,” Mandadi said. “Some people think of it as a cancer for citrus trees. If we don’t develop solutions, we’re eventually going to see the same results unfold across the country. But luckily, we’re now much closer to effective, sustainable solutions.”
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Written by Ashley Vargo
